That Kashmiri activist who has become the face of Islamic protest for the press corps is now evolving into some kind of new internet cult fad phenom. At this rate, I think he'll have to hire an agent, and put himself on the talkshow circuit. Maybe he can land some product endorsement contracts, or something.

http://www.indianexpress.com/sunday/story/203440.htmlMore on the Criminal Enterprise of India's next first family. How shocking!And where are all the Jhollawallah leftist intellectuals who love to tell us about how education and teaching is so honorable that we should not attach a profit motive to it?

But why should this surprise anyone. With Antonia on the remote control - we will now have the Indian version of The Sopranos in Rashtrapati Bhavan

In college, I was exposed to Jeffrey Kripal's "theory" of SriRamakrishna as a homosexual who had homoerotic feelings about (andpossibly abused) Swami Vivekananda. It was presented to me not asspeculation but as an academically established and authoritativetruth. All my life, I had looked upon Sri Ramakrishna and SwamiVivekananda as holy saints who had revived Hinduism during colonialrule in India. I had a picture of Sri Ramakrishna and Sarada Devi towhich I daily offered aarti, and I eagerly read Swami Vivekananda'scomplete works--one of the few compilations on Hinduism widelyavailable in English that is written from a Hindu perspective. Theyhad been my portal to Hinduism, but I felt shaken by these academicallegations. Instinctively, I knew such claims were baseless, and yet,these claims were made and vouched for by bona fide professors withIvy League credentials, so they could not be completely wrong.

Note to reader abhishek - please voluntarily delete all personalized attacks against reader matthew from this blog. I have requested the Blog Administrator to do this as soon as it is possible. Also if you continue to engage in personalized attacks I would be happy to start the process of making you persona non-grata on this forum (a la iamfordemocracy)

i have mentioned here before the assault on hinduism as 'ecologicallyunsound' -- the attack is by the christists. here's an example ofthat.

funny, hinduism has existed for 10,000 years without india beingdevastated ecologically. because hinduism coexists with nature.

christism, in the other hand, has existed for 1,700 years (from thecouncil of nicea) and has brought the earth to the verge of completeecological ruin. this is based on its glorification of greed and itscasual sanction to rape and pillage the earth. being a desert cult itdoesn't understand the value of nature: its goal is to turn whereverit goes into a desert.

i have mentioned before the 242nd reason why christism is a dumb cult:the practice of keeping the moldy remains of their dead in the ground,occupying space. now let's take a look at the statistics of the damagethat's creating.

this is the amount of space permanently put out of circulation everyyear. for ever. this is good agricultural land being converted intouseless eyesores all over the place. and remember this is not marginalland in some hillside or desert, it's in the middle of good habitableurban or rural land.

at this rate, in a few centuries, *all* the good agricultural land inthe world will be turned into christist cemeteries! now isn't that anecological catastrophe?

and all because of a stupid superstition that their bodies (or theworm infested dried pieces of bone that remain) will be raised as isto 'heaven'!

Here's more on the documents recently declassified by the CIA, relating to the Sino-Indian conflict and the activities of the Communist Party of India. From what I can see, their current shadowy support for militant activities like Naxalism are even more aggressive than what they were doing in 1962.

http://www.foia.cia.gov/CPE/ESAU/esau-15.pdfShould make for interesting reading; someone sent me the link only today and I confess I have not read the documents. They have a big expose on Nehru - Kapidhwaja shared the TOI article before. Here is a list of the documentshttp://www.foia.cia.gov/CPE/POLO/polo-07.pdfhttp://www.foia.cia.gov/CPE/POLO/polo-08.pdfhttp://www.foia.cia.gov/CPE/POLO/polo-09.pdf

Shame that Indians have to learn about our national humiliation from American sources. Why not an open inquiry on what happened on the Himalayan heights? Remember Sonia prancing around the country saying "Hamare mann mein kuch sawaal hain?" when Kargil happened? How come her heart has no questions about 1962? - I guess she was not our daughter-in-law at that time!

-Farooqi says Mughal women were introduced to the purdah only after Akbar married a Rajput princess, who may have brought this custom along with her.

Ohh yeah, sure, Mr Farooqi, the custom then spread all over the islamic world from the mughals.. So ultimately, islam is a religion of peace, gives equal rights to women, etc but it was made radical by Hindus. Nice spin by the so called "eminent historians". I wonder about the quality of history education in India, when someone cannot make out the difference between a ghoonghat and a long black veiled female ninja dress !!

Wait, there is more -Many other popular perceptions are often mistaken for historical fact, such as Islam being brought to India by Muslim invaders. Most historians concur that India’s introduction to Islam was, in fact, through Arab traders.

Ohh well, they were rather peaceful guys, werent they? And it spread like wildfire from Kerala to Punjab, Sindh, UP and Kashmir. We unwashed Hindus are always wrong, arent we?

-Myths, however, become intertwined with history, often overshadowing it. That’s why the fictional Salim-Anarkali romance is more popular than the real Jahangir-Noorjahan love story.

Again, giving an example of a myth like Anarkali, to spread more myths. BTW, I thought jahangir noorjahan wasnt a love story, it was a kidnap story. A mughal king who took the wife of a conquered 2-paise-ka-sultan as his wife.

Pratibha Patil might be another yesman (yeswoman?) of La Madame, she may be a typical corrupt Congressi politician, but she is atleast right when she says that the ghoonghat was introduced because of the muslim hordes. The fact that Pratibha Patil is stating it does not mean that the fact regarding ghoonghat is wrong. A wrong person is saying the right thing here. Logically, if we think about it, why is the ghoonghat more common in Rajasthan, particularly amongst Rajputs, as compared to other parts of India?

BTW, why is Shivsena supporting Pratibha Patil? Is her being a daughter-of-the-soil more important than national interests? Shivsena is a lot more parochial and regionalistic, much like the Dravidians. They have something against non-Maharashtrians, even though the non-Maharashtrians may be Hindus. By putting up Puppeta Patil, Congress has attained two goals. First they get more votes in the presidential polls, plus a split in the rival alliance.

i have been very sick with a viral fever and away from the computerfor a while. just got this mail. i cant vouch for its authenticity asi got no URL, but thought it was startling, and the parting shot verytrue: pick someone vulnerable.

it's still not clear shourie wrote this, but this blog has the full text. the allegations are indeed shocking.

---------- Forwarded message ----------From: Anand

Pratibha Patil, True Story - by Arun Shourie (Disturbing Credentials)

(the financial frauds, the murder, the deliberate derailment of theinvestigation)

'A big step for women... This shows India has a lot of respect forwomen... My nomination will inspire other women and help theirempowerment...' - that is how Pratibha Patil described her selectionas the UPA candidate for being our President.

Monday, June 25, 2007

The Howard Government's multicultural spokesman, Andrew Robb, yesterday told an audience of 100 imams who address Australia's mosques that these were tough times requiring great personal resolve.Mr Robb also called on them to shun a victim mentality that branded any criticism as discrimination.

"We live in a world of terrorism where evil acts are being regularly perpetrated in the name of your faith," Mr Robb said at the Sydney conference.

"And because it is your faith that is being invoked as justification for these evil acts, it is your problem.

"You can't wish it away, or ignore it, just because it has been caused by others.

"Instead, speak up and condemn terrorism, defend your role in the way of life that we all share here in Australia."

Mr Robb said unless Muslims took responsibility for their destiny and tackled the causes of terrorism, Australia would become divided.

Some Indians complain that Australians are racist, but I think the Aussie style of plain-speaking is necessary today, in order to combat the excesses of the new generation of ummahgrants and assorted dhimmigrants (Islamist immigrants and assorted allied left-wing PC "SouthAsian" immigrants). Ummahgration and dhimmigration pose a growing threat to the developed world and also to India, which gets more and more Bangladeshis everyday.

Islamists never cease their efforts to impress everyone else with their incredible powers of logic, reason and wisdom. The latest protests against Rushdie's knighthood are an example of this. I suppose this is why so many of them are genuinely puzzled at criticism directed at them. It's strange that the rest of us just aren't upto their speed.

Sunday, June 24, 2007

http://www.saxakali.com/southasia/PCLM.htmHear it from the mouth of the ones who have been 'graced by the miracle'; - life continues as before. Where are the ones to multiply their bread? How come there are no interviews with these people and highlighting of their oppression? Could it be because the oppressor here is the Church?Of course - the real problem is that people are still subject to the 'horrors of the caste system' even after being converted. That is the Hindu's fault too. The Lord fails in India because of these 'Satanic' people!!!

Of course - if you do this - the toadies will cry about the 'food being snatched from the hungry mouth' - about the 'high cost of disclosure reporting'. Also look forward to wailing and breast-beating by Atlanticists such as the NYT and the Economist; as if having paedophiles is a better deal.

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/06/23/world/asia/23china.htmlOf course the talk-out-of-both-sides-of-your-mouth duo of Yechury and Karat will never admit that there could be a problem in the new 'only Fatherland'.And the 'secular' liberal media - led by the likes of the Chindu will keep running stories about how we are eternally hobbled and left behind. Of course - our growth is non-inclusive and the Chinese model is more humane. Nevermind the government permits required to live in slums in cities.There are none so blind as those that will not see.

Why are the Yankees not talking about 'Pakistan-specific safeguards'? Anyone for more 'intrusive' IAEA inspection?Where are the brave letter-writing Tom Lantos and his crew? Where are the phantasmal 'India favoring Democrats' that some readers of this blog keep talking about?Nowhere - no lecturing to Pakistan about it's naughty behavior - too scared the Yankee Dhimmis of trouble in the Pakistani street - scared of the Mullah displacing their favorite 'elected' politicians - No articles full of bile about Chinese proliferation

The ISIS study the article refers to is herehttp://www.isis-online.org/publications/southasia/ThirdKhushabReactor.pdf

http://www.indianexpress.com/story/160297.htmlTavleen puts words to the thoughts that were probably in every Indian's (at least NRI's) guts. I never understood what the Sunita hoopla with the Indian media was - it made barely an impression in any western and even American media outletWhat she did not point out is that her own paper (or the 'Brown Shekhar Gupta's') was at the forefront in promoting the Sunita cult!

Some wonk (dhimmi? pseudosecular? uber-liberal?) at the ToI-let paper claims that the imposition of purdah on women is not courtesy Islam!

When UPA presidential nominee Pratibha Patil mentioned that the purdah had been in existence since Mughal times, she was being historically inaccurate, but voicing a commonly held misconception.

In fact, according to N R Farooqi, professor of History at Allahabad University, the Mughals probably borrowed purdah from the Rajputs. Historian Harbans Mukhia, in his book, The Mughals of India, cites the Baburnama and the Humayunnama to state that the Mughals were never in purdah. Farooqi says Mughal women were introduced to the purdah only after Akbar married a Rajput princess, who may have brought this custom along with her.

Mughal women were not covered! Yeah, right -- they cavorted around freely -- much like women in islamic nations today do.

This would be funny if it had not been pathetic.

Fortunately, not too many have fallen for this rubbish: many of the replies note -- with sources -- that the purdah is mandated in Islamic scriptures.

Saturday, June 23, 2007

http://www.newkerala.com/news5.php?action=fullnews&id=39951I never know what to make of a Jesuit who is still "attached to his Catholic belief" while writing about conversions in India; however I am all for taking anything that questions the received wisdom of the Conversion Machine (aka the Church); especially when it is written by one of their own.It makes it harder for the "Secularists" - the Useful Idiots of the Church to oppose it!!

Friday, June 22, 2007

From his article,It was the failure of Jawaharlal Nehru and V.K.Krishna Menon and those in India's Ministry of External Affairs who were their advisers to understand the Chinese mind-set, which led to the national humiliation in the Sino-Indian war of 1962. Repeated warnings from the Intelligence Bureau about the large-scale Chinese intrusions into the Aksai Chin area of Ladakh and their construction of a road there were not only ignored, but these disturbing developments were kept away from the knowledge of the public and the Parliament. They fondly believed that they would be able to make the Chinese see reason and withdraw from this region by observing a policy of silence and not articulating our concerns in public. Their fond hopes were belied.

Apparently, Sonia's goddess status has reached new heights. A Congress party official was fired for depicting her as Durga. No doubt such depictions are considered beneath her almighty supreme status. Ah, good cult worshippers are so hard to find.

Thursday, June 21, 2007

Looks like the Atlanticists are suddenly feeling more frustrated with Islam than Fouad Ajami is. Read the latest NYT piece on how the Muslim niqab or veil is straining the fabric of British society. The Atlanticists' momentary frustration will wear off, and their traditional role as apologists for Islamism will eventually be reprised -- perhaps as soon as the Nehruvian Fatah crushes its Islamist rival Hamas to reassert the Banyan Tree political order in Palestine.

Frankly, I feel it's appropriate to ban this ugly gender-swapped version of the Man-in-the-Iron-Mask. More than a mere symbol, it's an ugly, active tool of gender apartheid. The veil is advocated and worn by those who see everything in the world as sexual. It is more than just blinding of and by the wearer -- it is exhibitionist blindness.

Note the obligatory sneering remarks about Hindus:

“If I dressed in a Western way I could be a Hindu, I could be anything,” she said.

BEIJING: Despite concerns from environmentalists, China on Wednesday said it will press ahead with the construction of a 110-km-long highway in Tibet to Mt Everest and will not also rule out building hotels in future in the fragile Himalayan region.

Construction of a highway on Mt Everest will be completed before August 2008, in time for the Beijing Olympics Games, Chairman of the Tibet Autonomous Regional government Qiangba Puncog told reporters at a press conference.

"We'll ensure completion of the road by all means by next August," he said.

The project aims to turn a 110-km rough road linking Tingri County of Xigaze Prefecture at the foot of the mountain to the Base Camp into a blacktop highway fenced by undulating guardrails.

On completion, the highway will become the major route for tourists and mountaineers who are crowding onto Mt Qomolangma (Chinese name for Mt Everest) in ever larger numbers.

"More tourists are flocking into the Qomolangma Base Camp in the recent two years," said Puncog. "Tourists from Europe and America in particular like to have a glimpse of the Mount Qomolangma."

Some of the tourists, he said, had complained the road there was in poor condition and unsafe.

Organisers of the Beijing Olympics Games have revealed ambitious plans for the longest torch relay in Olympic history -- a 137,000-km, 130-day route that would cross five continents and scale the world's summit, which straddles the border between China and Nepal.

although i have to admit that indians cannot really point fingers atwhite guys' bad driving habits. indians are the very worst driversaround. i believe this is because of the 'scarcity economy syndrome'.we are afraid the road will disappear any minute, so we want to hog itwhile we can. (this is not an entirely incorrect assumption, either.roads do disappear quite unnervingly. they come to an end with nowarning. one minute you're driving along, and next there simply is noroad. or there will be a cavalcade of some politician and you're juststuck.)

Wednesday, June 20, 2007

The big leviathan Wal-Mart is moving into financial services, even after they had to abandon plans for a bank in the face of opposition from the banking establishment. Good for them, I say. It'll force the rest of the banks to shape up, in the face of the severe competition that Wal-Mart always brings. Like ICICI, I'm sure they'll also tap a section of the population who've been traditionally under-served by existing banks.

this is great! putin is asserting himself vis-a-vis the chinese aswell. he can put the screws on china to some extent by alsoinfluencing the central asians to not give that much by way ofhydrocarbons to china. the atlanticists really really dont like putin,do they?

funny, isn't it? all these others are doing more for india than indiadoes for itself under the invertebrates and dynasties.

latest, i hear Q is going to sue unnamed indian politicians for libel.i can tell you which indian politicians he *isnt* going to sue -- theones that arranged for CBI's momentary memory lapse when it came timeto freezing Q's account.

Tuesday, June 19, 2007

http://www.expressindia.com/fullstory.php?newsid=88387Where are the know-it-all "Socialists" forever telling us that India's growth is not inclusive while China's is? This is not surprising - as high manufacturing creates more jobs for robotic machines than for ordinary people.India still has a long way to go - sure enough - but please stop looking eastwards for models on "inclusive growth". Inclusive for party apparatchiks that!The trick is to link Indian agriculture with manufacturing. Dr R.C Majumdar's history of India gives us a picture of light Indian manufacturing integrated with Indian agriculture (e.g. cotton and weaving, or Jute and packaging) in towns like Dhaka and Chittagong. I recognize that the 'economies of scale' argument militates against light manufacturing; but we can and should focus on agriculture and infrastructure.

From the article,Egyptian Mufti Dr. Ali Gum'a wrote that the companions of the Prophet Muhammad would bless themselves by drinking his urine, and described an incident of urine-drinking from a hadith: "Umm Ayman drank the urine of the Prophet, and the prophet told her: 'This stomach will not be dragged through the fire of Hell, because it contains something of our Lord the Messenger of Allah...'

This blessing," Al-Gum'a added, "[can also] be done with the honorable saliva, sweat, hair, urine or blood of the Prophet.

The second Muhammad spat, one of them would immediately hasten [to grab his saliva] and smear it upon his face.'

i haven't read the report, came across this description of it. as sanmentioned, it is a good thing that russia is recovering. they aregoing to implode demographically, as their death rates have soared,their men are dying from drinking not only alcohol, but also strangethings like nail-polish remover, birth rates are plunging, and lifeexpectancy is falling. odd, when the economy is doing so well. are therussians facing a death-wish situation?

A two-day 'Conference for an Independent Tibet' organised by Friends ofTibet will be inaugurated by former Defence Minister of India Shri GeorgeFernandes on June 23, 2007 (Saturday) at 10:30am at the Gandhi PeaceFoundation, New Delhi.

The conference will have a sharper focus and seek to bring inorganisations and individuals who are genuinely opposed to the Chineseoccupation of Tibet and support the on-going Tibetan struggle forindependence inside Tibet. The Conference will try seeking answers toquestions surrounding the Tibetan movement and work towards building astronger network of organisations and individuals who aspire for a freeand an independent Tibet.

For the first time the historical passport used by the former Chief of theFinance Department of the then Government of Tibet, Tsepon ShakabpaWangchuk Dedhen will also be on public display at the Gandhi PeaceFoundation, New Delhi from June 23-24, 2007. The passport was recovered byFriends of Tibet in 2004 after missing for many years. The document hadreceived recognition from about seven countries in 1948 when the TibetanMinister travelled abroad. The first and the only surviving passport ofindependent Tibet, which is now in the safe custody of HH the Dalai Lamais clear evidence of the historical nationhood of Tibet.

Along side the Conference, 'Indian Cartoonists on Tibet', an exhibition of30 selected cartoons on the Tibet issue (1950-2005) and the tumultuousSino-Indian relations by renowned cartoonists Shankar, Ranga, OV Vijayan,RK Laxman, Ravi Shankar, Mario Miranda, Rajinder Puri, Prriya Raj,Yesudasan, Nanda Soobben, Abe Gowda, Kaak, Madhu Omalloor, Balu, Thommy,Ponnappa, Morparia and Prakash Shetty will also be on display.Introduction and text by Claude Arpi, author of 'The Fate of Tibet' and'India and Her Neighbourhood: A French Observer's Views'.

'Two bands and a Tibetan solo artist will also perform during the NewDelhi Conference. 'Dharma Bums' - founded by songwriter-activist PhilVoid in the early 70s and has performed all over the world for cause of aFree Tibet. The Indian band belongs to the Aligarh Muslim University,Uttar Pradesh. Tenzin Jampa is a professional singer who has devoted histalents to singing for a Free Tibet.

-------------------Background: Ever since His Holiness the Dalai Lamaannounced the Strasbourg proposal on June 15, 1988, in order to seek anegotiated settlement with China the Tibetan movement has lost its focus.Since then the struggle has no longer been for an Independent Tibet. As aresult The Tibetan Government-in-Exile and also most Tibet Support Groups(TSGs) also relinquished their demand for Independence . abandoning theirsupport to the demand for independence which is the sole wish of the sixmillion Tibetans who continue to struggle for it living under China'soccupation.

During the last two decades, some of the crucial questions concerning theTibetan struggle have found no answers: What is the future of the Tibetanstruggle led from exile? What is the direction? What is the role of theglobal exiled Tibetan community and Tibet Support Groups in the movement?Why is the Tibetan movement getting diverted form its initial goal tounrealistic initiatives? With no alternative thinking, does the debate onTibet remain merely on an intellectual level . without leading to anypractical plan of action?------------------

Key Speakers of the 'Conference for an Independent Tibet'

George Fernandes: Former Defence Minister of India, George Fernandes isalso a trade unionist, political activist and a journalist. As Presidentof the All India Railwaymen's Federation George Fernandes led the Railwaystrike involving 1.5 million workers in 1974, resulting in thousands beingsent to jail. This was one of the events that led to the imposition of theEmergency in June 1975; during the Emergency he went underground andfought the existing rule; arrested in June 1976 on the charge of overawingand overthrowing the Government in what came to be known as BarodaDynamite conspiracy case; fought the 1977 elections from jail. Afterappointment as India's Defence Minister in 1998, Fernandes won thesoldiers' respect for his honesty, administrative savviness and frugality- he himself uses just one room in the mansion for working, eating andsleeping. India's military brass has been equally impressed by Fernandes'outspoken criticism of perceived Chinese attempts to tighten the clamps onIndia. While most politicians have avoided risking Beijing's ire,Fernandes has openly accused the Chinese of providing parts for Pakistanto build its missiles. He also has criticized the Chinese forstrengthening their military might across the Himalayas in Tibet.

Rajiv Vora: Born into a Gandhian family in Gujarat, Rajiv Vora is awriter, speaker and educator, is a pre-eminent interpreter of Gandhi'sworks and in particular his root text, Hind Swaraj. He received hisprimary education in the alternative Gandhian residential rural schools. Ascientist and keen student of Indian classical music, he earned hisreputation as a writer, commentator, and public speaker. He is frequentlyinterviewed in national and international press and is known for hislucid, fresh, insightful, and unorthodox interpretation of MahatmaGandhi's thought and practice. In 1977, Vora walked away from powerpolitics and joined the Gandhi Peace Foundation. In 1992, he foundedSwarajpeeth with his wife Dr Niru Vora. Swarajpeeth brings a freshapproach to Gandhian vision, thought, and methods and is involved indialogue on non-violence at the community and national level.

Jamyang Norbu: Jamyang Norbu has worked with the Tibetangovernment-in-exile in India and was briefly a member of the TibetanResistance Force in Mustang, Nepal. He was the creator ofTibetans-in-exile taxation scheme (the green book system), which has beenthe main source of funding for the exile government since 1972. Norbu hasregularly commented on Tibetan and Chinese affairs. A collection of hispolitical essays were published as a book, Illusion and Reality (1989), bythe TYC. Chinese authorities in Tibet have, on the other hand, derided hiswritings as being inconsequential as "the wings of a fly beating against aboulder". He has written and produced five plays: The Chinese Horse(1970), Yuru (1981), The Claws of Karma (1982), Official Problem (1984),Titanic II (1998) and a traditional opera libretto The Iron Bridge (1983).His novel 'The Mandala of Sherlock Holmes' has become a best-seller andhas received unanimously enthusiastic reviews in the Indian press. JamyangNorbu was the editor of 'Mangtso' (Democracy) the largest independentTibetan language newspaper and the founding director of the Amnye MachenInstitute.

Vijay Crishna: Vijay Crishna is an industrialist, theatre personality andan avid mountaineer . a person of many facets has done many exploratorytrips to the Chinese-occupied Tibet. He is the Managing Director of GodrejUpstream, a subsidiary of the Godrej Group. In 1991 he established NaorojiGodrej Centre for Plant Research in Satara district which researches andpropagates rare and endangered species of medicinal plants endemic to theWestern Ghats. 'Tibet Of Our Minds: A Journey's End' . Vijay Crishna'saudio-visual presentation based on his trips to occupied-Tibet where heshares his perspectives of Tibet's ancient and modern history and howthese impact us today has been presented across the country. He has beenactive in theater since 1965, taking occasional bit role in films . likeGandhi and Devdaas.

Claude Arpi: Born in France, Claude Arpi's real quest started thirty-threeyears ago with a journey to the Indian Himalayas. Since then he has beenan enthusiastic student of the history of Tibet, China and thesubcontinent. He is the author of The Fate of Tibet (Har-AnandPublications, 1999), Tibet, le pays sacrifié (Calmann-Lévy, Paris, 2000),La politique française de Nehru: 1947-1954 (Pavilions Series, Auroville,2001), Cachemire, le paradis perdu (Editions Philippe Picquier, France,2004) and Born in Sin: the Panchsheel Agreement (Mittal Publications, NewDelhi, 2004), India and Her Neighbourhood (Har-Anand Publciations, 2005).Claude Arpi has been the Guest Editor of the La Revue de l'Inde (No 4)Special Tibet-Buddhism and No 7 - Special Kashmir. He writes regularly onTibet, China, India and Indo-French relations in The Pioneer, the NewIndian Express, Rediff.com and other Indian and French publications.

Lhasang Tsering: Graduated from Wynberg Allen School, Mussoorie, LhasangTsering was offered a scholarship to study medicine in the US. However, herefused to accept the offer and joined the Tibetan resistance who werethen operating from Mustang in Western Nepal instead. After the guerrillabase was closed in 1974 he returned to Dharamshala and worked for theTibetan Government-in-Exile in the Department of Security and also, thenow defunct, Tibetan Office of Research and Analysis. In 1986 Lhasang waselected President of the Tibetan Youth Congress and it was in thiscapacity that he became the first Tibetan to publicly question in 1988 theso-called Middle Way Policy of His Holiness the Dalai Lama to seek only'Genuine Autonomy' for Tibet within China and not to continue the strugglefor independence. Among other magazines and newsletters, Lhasang was theActing Editor of the 'Tibetan Review'; Editor of 'Rangzen' and Editor of'Mangtso'.

Prof Iqbal Hadi Rizvi: After LL.M from Kashmir University, he joinedsecond LL.M programme in Continental Law in University of Rome, Italy.After returning to India in late 80s, he taught Law at the DelhiUniversity and Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi. During the courseof teaching in Delhi University, he worked as a consultant with SC-STCommission. Since last one decade, he is teaching Law in Aligarh MuslimUniversity,

Raghav Mittal: After graduating from IIT Kharagpur in the year 2004securing his B-Tech and M-Tech degrees in Computer Science & Engineering,Raghav worked for a while in the industry. But his heart was elsewhere inthe developmental sector. He soon joined the ongoing drive to conserve therich cultural heritage of Braj region . the land of Lord Krishna.Currently he is based at Mathura and has founded a pan-indian students'organisation namely Students' Forum for India's Heritage. He is also theconvener of Bharat Bandhu Network . an initiative to network all thoseindividuals and organizations dedicated to Indian resurgence.

Tenzin Tsundue: Tenzin Tsundue published his first book of poems 'CrossingThe Border' while studying in Bombay and won him the first-ever'Outlook-Picador Award for Non-Fiction' in 2001. He represented Tibet inthe Second South Asian Literary Conference in New Delhi in January 2005.He is the General Secretary of Friends of Tibet (India). In January 2002his profile peaked when he scaled scaffolding to the 14th floor of theOberoi Towers in Mumbai to unfurl a Tibetan national flag and a bannerwhich read "Free Tibet" down the hotel's facade. China's Premier ZhuRongji was inside the hotel addressing a conference of Indian businesstycoons. The world's media featured Tsundue's feat and Indian policeofficials reportedly congratulated him in prison for standing up for hisrights. Recently, in April 2005 he repeated a similar feat with a stunningprotest that captured the imagination of the world. Single-handedly, hesnatched the world media attention from the visiting Chinese PrimeMinister Wen Jia Bao in the south Indian city, Bangalore.

Vijay Kranti: Vijay Kranti is a prominent journalist and a long-timefriend of Tibet. He is the first ever Indian journalist who travelledinside China controlled Tibet for eight days as an ordinary touristwithout Beijing's patronisation or direct control. He is also the editorof Tibbat Desh, a bi-monthly magazine in Hindi.

Lawrence Liang: A graduate form National Law School subsequently pursuedhis Masters degree in Warwick, England on a Chevening Scholarship. His keyareas of interest are law, technology and culture, the politics ofcopyright and he has been working closely with Sarai, New Delhi on a jointresearch project Intellectual Property and the Knowledge/Culture Commons.A keen follower of the open source movement in software, Lawrence has beenworking on ways of translating the open source ideas into the culturaldomain. Lawrence Liang is the author of 'Guide to Open Content Licenses'published by Piet Zwart Institute. He works with the Alternative LawForum, Bangalore as a legal researcher.

Dr Niru Vora: Formerly with the Dept. of Chinese and Japanese Studies,Delhi University, among the founders of Delhi unit of Sangharsha Vehiniunder JP Narayan's guidance, founder member of Mahila Dakshata Samiti andSwarajpeeth Compiled and edited "Gandhi's Dialogue with Christianity".

Phuntsok Wangchuk: Phuntsok Wangchuk is a former political prisoner fromTibet who was sentenced to five years imprisonment for counterrevolutionary activities. In the prison, he was one the youth leaders whorefused to salute when the jail authorities were forcing all prisoners tostand and respect the China's national flag which flared up what is nowknown as the "1998 Drapchi prison protest". This resulted in policeshooting leaving behind two deaths and many injured. Phuntsok Wangchuklives in Dharamshala and works with Gu-Chu-Sum, an ex-political prisonersassociation.

Dr Alka Acharya: Alka Acharya is a member of the National SecurityAdvisory Board of the Government of India and Chairperson/AssociateProfessor of Chinese Studies in the Centre for East Asian Studies, Schoolof International Studies, Jawaharlal Nehru University. She has beenteaching courses on Chinese Foreign Policy and Political Economy to theMasters and M.Phil students and guiding doctoral research since 1993. Sheis also an Honorary Fellow of the Institute of Chinese Studies and theEditor of China Report, a journal of East Asian Affairs. She is the jointeditor of the book "Crossing A Bridge of Dreams: 50 years of India-China",published in 2002, has contributed chapters to many books and regularlyfeatures in the Economic and Political Weekly, published from Mumbai,India. She has written widely on India-China Relations and other aspectsof China's foreign policy. Her current research focuses on the settlementof the PRC's territorial disputes, India-China-Russia TrilateralCooperation and the Chinese strategic response to the post-cold warglobalising politico-security architecture, with special reference toChina's neighborhood.

. . .Friends of Tibet, PO Box: 16674, Bombay 400050, India.. . .Friends of Tibet is a global movement to keep alive the issue of Tibetthrough direct action. Our activities are aimed at ending China'soccupation of Tibet and the suffering of the Tibetan people. Friends ofTibet supports the continued struggle of the Tibetan people forindependence. To know more, visit: www.friendsoftibet.org. . .

Bharat Karnad is bang on target as he compares China and India. Hope the non-PM and assorted "patriotic" invertebrates in Dilli who kowtow to Massa, read it.

From his article,China understands what matters in power politics and has prioritized the development of megaton thermonuclear weapons and intercontinental ballistic missiles to put its strongest adversary and the world on notice. India is satisfied with fielding simple fission weapons and mostly short-range missiles that do not frighten even Pakistan.

amazed that the nytimes actually carried this article. they areusually so keen to toe the palestinians-as-victims line. i once upon atime used to believe that line, but over time i came to see them, asajami points out -- and he should know, being a lebanese himself -- abunch of people who are never going to live in peace. if they have noothers to kill, they kill each other on minor pretexts. (actually thisis true of arabs in general, see the iraqi sunnis blowing up the shiamosque. in fact it is true of wannabe-arabs too, see pakistan).

i have liked prof ajami ever since he said edward said was aself-aggrandizing liar (or words to that effect). i liked him evenmore when he said amartya sen was an idiot (in so many words, i think.i posted his bashing -- well-reasoned and thoughtful -- of sen on thisblog some time ago). now he tells a very inconvenient truth: theemperor has no clothes. the palestinians have been so puffed-up withall this victimhood talk that they will never be satisfied. even ifisrael ceases to exist. they will then want parts of north africa astheir homeland. why, after all, they are palestinians, the favorite'victims' of the communists and other useful idiots.

note how the kashmiri pundits have been treated much worse than thepalestinians, put upon by an occupying force of mohammedan terroristssupported by the oh-so-nice-nice local mohammedans. they have beenethnically cleansed and pushed into refugee camps. so far the pictureis the same. yet nobody pays the slightest attention to them. the onlydifference is that the kashmiri pundits are not out there doing actsof terrorism and killing people on a large scale. if they were, i amsure their problems would get a lot more attention.

oh, i forgot, the other difference is that (most) palestinians aremohammedans. since mohammedan, by the communist/liberal definition, is'victim', they get all the sympathy in the world. curiously, by themohammedans' own definition, they are not 'victims', but 'victors'.indeed, superior and victimizers who beat up anybody else. i think thecommunists must be dyslexic; they see 'victor' and read it as'victim'. yeah, that's the ticket.

also, the saudis are giving the palestinians money to kill people,though not to rehabilitate them. that's another difference.

Good article written by Rajinder Puri on the folly of caste-based reservations. From his article, here is what the Supreme Court said recently,"It has to be noted that nowhere else in the world do castes, classes or communities queue up for the sake of gaining backward status. Nowhere else in the world is there competition to assert backwardness and then to claim we are more backward than you."

Monday, June 18, 2007

As you know, CATO is neither in the classic conservative Republican nor the classic liberal Democrat mold. They're more Libertarian, if anything. But listen to what Dr Menon has to say. It's about The End of Alliances. He's attracting a lot of attention with this thesis. To me, it's not a bad idea for weaning the US away from its traditional cronyist old-school ties with the Europeans (Atlanticism), Israel and even Japan. The US is reaping decreasing returns from these alliances, and so these traditional pillars of its foreign relations may eventually collapse. The Libertarians may be our best bet for a sympathetic pro-Indian audience in the US, unprejudiced by obstructive ideological baggage.

a. nobody cares what the UN declares 'day of the whatever'; if i gavethem enough money, they'd declare 'day of the triffids' and nobodywould know what triffids wereb. nobody in the kaangress cares about what gandhi stood for or didn'tc. it is increasingly clear that gandhi was not exactly the saint he'sportrayed to be

here's a suggestion from an investment banker reader of this blog.what do you folks think? money talks, and that gives i-bankers afairly unique perspective, which should be taken seriously.

v, i have a simple suggestion that could be implemented quite easily:which is to shut down every 'kashmiri emporium' and repatriate allkashmiri mohammedans in all parts of india back to j&k. that wouldimmediately reduce terrorism in india by 50% as i have reason tobelieve these are all sleeper cells. nobody ever buys anything fromthem, and they are *everywhere*, even 'selling' rugs in swelteringkanyakumari. this cannot be explained by pure economics -- they don'tbreak even, they are being subsidized for other purposes. also, a'kashmiri emporium' in hampi recently was found to harbor a terroristplotting to bomb bangalore.

a second step would be to stop central dole-outs to j&k. unbeknownstto all, j&k is the least poor part of india, with a poverty ratearound 3% and falling. it will soon have nobody below the povertyline. why? the center gives every man, woman and child in india 8x thegrants, yes free money, that the average indian gets. don't people inbihar etc deserve this more than these ungrateful wretches in j&k?

a third step would be to experiment by making noises about pulling outthe army from j&k (as a tactical exercise, while quietly beefing upits presence in actuality). the kashmiri mohammedans will then sing adifferent tune, as they know that the pakistanis are going to beat thecrap out of them, as they do to their counterparts in PoK, not tospeak of the huge amounts of money the military spends in j&k. theywill *demand* that the army not leave. if they don't, well, of course,the initiative can be quietly dropped.

---------- Forwarded message ----------From: v

Dear Rajeev,

I have loved your blogspot and columns over the years but have a smallsuggestion to make: instead of simply highlighting the problems that HinduIndia faces, can we also highlight solutions? It is not for us to get themimplemented; we are unfortunately not amongst the decision makers of polityin India, but maybe our solutions too might find as much resonance as yourwork thus far has.

My solution for Kashmir is as below:

1. Get Hindus from dispreviledged parts of India to infiltrate into Kashmirin large numbers. There is already a large number of Bihari migrants thatworks there -- encourage them to settle down there and not come back.Critics will harp back shouting Article 370. But if Bangladesh caninfiltrate 2 crore Bangladeshis into India over 25 years, why can we notinfiltrate a few lac 'Mainland' Hindus into Kashmir?2. The numbers required are not large. Leh/Ladakh and Jammu are alreadypro-India. Only the Valley is a problem. Now the Valley's population isonly about 50 lacs; certainly less than 75 lacs. So if you infiltrate about20-25 lac people there you will dramatically change demographics. It may beillegal on paper, but who cares? Lets use the lax judicial system in thiscase to the advantage of the nation. What has the judiciary done in anycase with the Bangladeshi infiltration? If only the RSS were to use itsenergies to facilitate this than drain it over clamoring for a repeal ofArticle 370 (which practically speaking is not likely to happen anytimesoon) things might get moving.3. In terms of timing, this is opportune as the Army has managed to bringdown violence levels there dramatically. One may even take the help of theArmy and paramilitary forces in getting this done. Rather than go aroundre-building mosques and getting fatwas issued against them for doing so,they might as well facilitate this.4. Provide arms for village protection groups of these migrants.Essentially that is being done in large numbers in Doda, might as well doso here.

After they have migrated there in large numbers and managed to get rationcards etc and become part of the Valley, I am sure all politicians willstart to court them and that in itself will force them to lower theirrhetoric. Essentially politicians are masters at giving the public whatthey believe the public wants to hear; once the ground reality changes,everything else too will.We can then even have a referendum there which we will win hands down -- wecan always bribe the bona fide Kashmiris to voting for it -- that will be afar more effective way than subsidize them in large recurring amounts wecurrently do. Once the referendum is won, withdraw all subsidies andtighten your grip.

Its a 10-15 yr plan but worth pursuing in earnest.

My solution for Arunachal in one word is Tata Power/Anil Ambani. Arunachalhas 84,000 MW of proven hydro electric potential (which is perhaps why thenewly awakened Chinese interest in claiming the territory). Get ReliancePower and Tata Power to developing this on a war front. The main problemdoing so is lack of transmission links to the North East which the PowerGrid Corporation can provide -- or these folks can build on their own. Oncethere are several billion sunk into Arunachal, these Corporate worthieswill perhaps put more pressure on the Government to defend the territory.Raise the stakes that Corproate India has in the place, in short. Surelyif the Tatas can think of investing several billions into Bangladesh, theymight as well try Arunachal, which seems significantly lower risk than theformer.

Would love to hear your thoughts. Lets try and flag these things and maybesomeone somewhere might take notice, sit up and do what it takes to getthese plans into motion.

sanjay, according to a) the kaangress, b) the white guys, india *is* amohammedan country. this is why the US routinely includes india not in'asia', but in 'middle east'. of course, to them, 'asia' = chineseterritory, 'middle east' = mohammedan territory, so i guess it's amatter of small mercies that india is not (yet) considered chineseterritory by yanks.

or look at those unreasonably lionized, second-rate hacks like williamdalrymple, who i suspect has something to do with british covertoperations. he is pretty clear that india is a mohammedan country, orif not, it should forthwith be (excepting those portions that shouldbe christist-stan, of course). this is traditional british policy.

which is the reason, with apologies to my good british friends, that iam amused at londonistan becoming the capital of mohammedan eurabiaand our good mohammedan friends turning up the heat there with anoccasional bombing spree.

The secular taliban will predictably make some noise like they did whenAriel Sharon came on a state visit a few years ago.

Prakash Karat/Sitaram Yechury/Prafool Bidwai etc wanted the Govt of Indiato cease all military purchases with Israel. Do these morons realize thatIsraelis doing us a favour by supplying the force multipliers like the Phalconradars,Barak missiles, Arrow missile defense systems etc which the Yanks won't sellus ?

During the Kargil conflict, Israel delivered urgently required ordnance totheIndian air force by cannibalising the Israeli air force's operatinginventory.

And yet, we have that scumbag Edapattah Ahamed, Hamas agent in the govtof India, going on state visits to Israel as India's Minister of state,External affairsand ignoring the Israelis entirely. Instead choosing to meet "Palestininan"leaders.

In this background, wouldn't Israel be within it's rights to respond toMusharraf'sovertures of friendship ? Wouldn't they be right in expecting some give &take ?

During the recent Richard Gere/Shilpa Shetty kissing controversy, I rememberShilpasaying something to the effect that "this is not how we treat guests in ourculture".Ok, Shilpa can use that excuse to entertain Richard saab.

But, where is our sense of "atithi devo bhava" when it comes to our Israeliallies ?

Why do we have MMS issuing demarches on behalf of the Indian republic tothe Danish government over Muhammad cartoons ? Has MMS spared a thoughtfor Sikh immigrants in western countries & the possible problems it maycreate for them ?

How would westerners tell the difference between a Taliban and a Sikh whenboth sportbeards/turbans and hail from the same approximate geographical area ?It is a horrible irony that post 9/11, Sikhs were targeted in mistakenidentity hate crimes.MMS is simply complicating things further by lodging diplomatic protests onbehalf of India.

that is only natural, usha. it is the job description of hindus to bedecimated, and that of mohammedans to do the decimation. theenglish-language media understands this completely.

now i am waiting for the news, peripherally, that central minister e.ahamed is spending a lot of time in saudi arabia to save one naushad,a kerala mohammedan, who has been sentenced to death. naushad, marriedwith kids in kerala, apparently married a sri lankan woman in saudiarabia, then conspired with her and her pals to rob and murder hisemployer, some arab. during the murder, they gagged and choked todeath an old woman, possibly the arab's mother. now, eye for an eye ismohammedan justice. so naturally the saudis sentenced naushad and srilankan woman to death. but since he's a mohammedan, the full force ofthe center's whining will be directed at saving alleged murderernaushad's ass. (remember the case of another kerala mohammedan, whowas slated to lose an eye for having blinded an arab? after e. ahamedspent many days supplicating at taxpayer expense, the saudis agreed tonot poke out his eye).

look at the afzal guru case. need i say more? usually (especially if ahindu is wrongly accused of something) the communists screech: let thelaw take its course! when the law does take its course and sentencesthis terrorist to death, the communists and mullahs screech: don't letthe law take its course.

one rule for hindus, another for mohammedans. don't you know this,usha? sheesh! for instance, kashmiri mohammedans can set up terroristsleeper cells (also known as 'kashmiri emporia') anywhere in india.but no indian can settle in kashmir.

---------- Forwarded message ----------From: Usha

Hi Rajeev,I am a long time reader of your blog. I thought the following articleshould be highlighted, mainly because it exposes the bias of themedia. If a cause is Hindu, it isnt worth promoting. If the abuser isMuslim, bury it

http://www.rediff.com/news/2007/jun/19rushdie.htmI guess Londonistan cannot make up it's mind on which side it wants to be on. It slides to the Islamist position and then lurches to Western values; slides and lurches ..... ad infinitumI do not know why they are upset- Rushdie is a dyed-in-the-wool leftie "secular-wallah". When the Satanic Verses crisis happened he never told his fellow Muslims to "go to hell" - but was always focussed on how he also is a good Muslim.

Maybe now he can show them what he means by refusing the knighthood!!!

i glanced at these topics in readers' digest, and yes, it wasgratuitous to use an indian doctor. (incidentally, this is exactlylike saying all SC/ST doctors are incompetent, but i wont go down thatpath)>

interesting tibdit about the huge shortage of nurses. no wondernursing colleges are coming up like mushrooms in kerala. one ofindia's biggest exports: kerala christist nurses. a major source offoreign exchange. i suspect that there are 1 million of these women(and increasingly men too) who send back on average 10,000 dollars ayear to india, ie. 10 billion dollars.

The article is entitled, "Fatal Hospital Mistakes" and it clearlyshows an Indian doctor. Wow, I guess they weren't able to find a whitedoctor anywhere! That's because they were all out that day. Theimplication for the more simple-minded and gullible populace is thatIndian doctors are clearly incompetent and you only go to them if youwant to risk your life...

I guess the attacks will now be ever so subtle...ALL Indians of allstripes better be careful. They will divide us along communal linesthen we'll be easy to pick off. This is definitely the plan. If theycan divide us along religion, state, language, etc. we're sittingducks. Do we want to be humiliated like this forever? We really needto set aside our differences. They are using Sonia Gandhi Maino tobring down the Indian software industry, they are using Muslims toattack Hindus, Hindus to Attack Muslims, Christians and Hindus toattack each other, Tamils to hate Telegus....we are totally playinginto their hands again. Why are we so stupid?

Would the Indian press EVER show a picture of a white doctor andentitle the article--"Fatal Hospital Mistakes"? I doubt it. We hadbetter start being more united like they are. We must set aside ourdifferences.

Rajasthan Governor and UPA Presidential candidate Pratibha Patil onSunday left historians and Muslim social activists astounded by herremarks that the purdah (veil) system was introduced in India toprotect women from Mughal aggressors.

http://www.economist.com/world/asia/displaystory.cfm?story_id=9339955Trust the inhabitants of Londonistan to find something to beat India up with. They have finally discovered begging in Delhi streets. Of course what they will not tell you is1- Indian penury is the result of astronomical Agri-subsidies in the US and Europe - which depress prices of agricultural goods; causing migration from rural India2- All the 'migrants' come from areas governed by the Atlanticists favorite 'secular' politicians, who suck up to the Muslim Vote Bank. Ever wonder why there are no farmer suicides in "Right Wing Hindu Nationalist BJP' ruled Gujarat?3- Indian intellectuals pointing to the 'evils of alms' may not be moved by a deeply touching spirit - but that is way better than having people need 'state permits' to migrate to cities. And if the pesky little buggers migrate without said permits - they get to 'participate' in state-sponsored organ harvesting scheme (hint hint - guess the country)

Saturday, June 16, 2007

don't have a URL for this, but it's an important issue. subrahmanyam has been suspiciously shrill in his support for the US position. we can only conjecture about how his support has been er... ensured.

---------- Forwarded message ----------From: Kanchan Gupta

Sunday Pioneer / Agenda / Column: Coffee Break / June 17, 2007

Govt reopening nuclear issues

On his way back from Heiligendamm, the Baltic Sea coast resort where the G-8 summit was held, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh issued an astounding statement, demanding that all "patriotic Indians" should support the India-US civilian nuclear deal. By implication, therefore, all those who do not support the deal in its present, hugely flawed form, are not patriotic Indians. On the other hand, those who support the deal despite, to quote Foreign Secretary Shivshankar Menon, the glaring "gaps" in it, whose consequences can only be disastrous for India's nuclear programme, are patriotic Indians. If the Prime Minister's convoluted logic is to be taken seriously, placing India's interests above those of a foreign country, in this case not surprisingly the US, is an utterly unpatriotic act and those who refuse to blindly support the nuclear deal should be shamed and shunned.

Hence, the strategic affairs specialists and commentators who have been seeking to caution the Government against allowing the Americans to set the terms of engagement, the parliamentarians who have been highlighting the manner in which the deal is being weighed against India despite the Prime Minister's repeated assurances that there shall be no digression from the July 18, 2005 joint statement, and the scientists who have been toiling for a pittance at our nuclear establishments and have refused to cravenly applaud the deal as it stands are an unpatriotic lot. These are sad times indeed if we have to learn patriotism and patriotic values from a person who crawls without being asked to bend both at home and abroad. It is equally sad and tragic that media should applaud such perverse notions of patriotism: For instance, a national daily has described the Prime Minister's statement as "remarkable not for its content as much as the new political spunk behind it".

But if Mr Singh's statement, made after his meeting with US President George Bush at Heiligendamm, was astounding, the subsequent action of his Government, such as it is, was astonishing. It has set up a task force, headed by Mr K Subrahmanyam, who is in the forefront of those pushing the nuclear deal at any cost and hence meets Mr Singh's criterion of a "patriotic Indian". The other two members of the task force are also overtly pro-deal - Ms Arundhati Ghose, India's former Ambassador to the disarmament conference, and Mr Shyam Saran, former Foreign Secretary and the Prime Minister's 'Special Envoy' on the nuclear deal. Despite his designated role, Mr Sharan has been elbowed out of the 123 Agreement talks by Mr Menon; insiders say that till the new assignment came up, the Prime Minister's 'Special Envoy' was busy working on India's strategic fuel requirements. Such mighty preoccupation, for the moment, will have to take a backseat.

Officially, the task force has been given the responsibility of formulating the "correct position" on key disarmament related issues like nuclear non-proliferation and fissile material controls. Those who have interacted with the task force say that discussions are primarily focussed on Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty, Fissile Material Cut-off Treaty and connected issues that impinge on India's nuclear doctrine as well as posture. Understandably, the Ministry of External Affairs is miffed that such a task force should have been set up; after all, there is a disarmament division in the Ministry that has been dealing with CTBT and FMCT while sensitive issues related to India's nuclear doctrine and posture are long settled.

Two points have arisen from the interactions of the task force that merit the attention of Indians, especially those who are not "patriotic" enough to declare unconditional, unquestioning and unequivocal support for current form and content of the India-US nuclear deal. The first relates to the timing of setting up the task force and its agenda: Both coincide with the discussions on the text of the 123 Agreement entering a crucial phase. Do we really need to discuss disarmament related issues on a domestic forum at this point of time? And, to what purpose? The task force, more specifically Mr Subrahmanyam, is believed to have told security and strategic affairs specialists that India must revisit what are considered settled issues "in the light of new realities".

The second point relates to the "new realities", primarily obsessive American interest in controlling the future course of India's nuclear programme and thus influencing posture, apart from getting more than a toehold in India's nuclear establishments. Is an effort on to reorient standing policy on CTBT and FMCT? Till now, India's position, and this is the official line unless it is turned on its head after the task force is through with its exercise, has been that though we have co-sponsored both CTBT and FMCT, we are opposed to control regimes that are unfair, inequitable and lack effective international verification. The original purpose was to sign and join the high table; if there is no high table to join, then why should India agree to harsh control regimes? What is particularly obnoxious (for 'unpatriotic' Indians) is the US attempt to convert FMCT into an instrument of intrusive American verification from universally applicable effective international verification.

Alarmists, whose patriotic credentials I wouldn't dare question because they are unimpeachable, suggest that a surreptitious and sly effort is on, in keeping with the character of those who have arrogated to themselves the right to decide what is good for India although they lack the appropriate mandate to do so, to tamper with India's nuclear doctrine and posture. A task force member, during his interaction with a certain individual, insisted that neither nuclear doctrine nor posture has been codified as yet. Of course, that's bunkum, and he was politely told to refer to Government documents and a Press release issued on January 4, 2003 following a meeting of the Cabinet Committee on Security Affairs.

There is nothing innocently naïve about the task Mr Subrahmanyam has set for the team that is seeking to reopen closed issues in the "light of new realities". Just as there is nothing coincidental about the fact that he should head the task force set up at this juncture of discussions on the 123 Agreement, discussions in which India's Ambassador to Singapore, Mr S Jaishankar, an unabashed votary of the nuclear deal, routinely participates although he is accredited to a third Government. Mr Jaishankar happens to be Mr Subrahmanyam's son.

obama demonstrates his semitic roots. is this the christistfundamentalism of his upbringing, or is it the mohammedanfundamentalism of his birth? nature vs. nurture, and in any case, ithurts india and hindus, who are the primary target of all randomfundies.

and where are all those who always promise that the Democrats aregoing to be india's salvation?

---------- Forwarded message ----------From: Ram Narayanan

Dear Rajeev Srinivasan:

United States India Political Action Committee (USINPAC) ChairmanSanjay Puri sent a letter yesterday asking Senator Barack Obama torespond to recent allegations reported by the media that hispresidential campaign staff has been promoting hurtful stereotypesagainst the Indian American community.

In the letter Chairman Puri states, "As representatives of the IndianAmerican community, we have been encouraged by your message ofinclusion and your promise to bring a new kind of politics to ourcountry. This is why we are so concerned about media reportsindicating your staff may be engaging in the worst kind of anti IndianAmerican stereotyping."

Furthermore, Chairman Puri asks, "We request that you respond directlyto these media reports and let us know if indeed your staff ispromoting these hurtful stereotypes. We trust that you will take allappropriate action on this matter and look forward to your response onthis issue of great concern to the Indian American community."

Following is the full text of the letter:

June 15, 2007

Senator ObamaObama for AmericaP.O. Box 8102Chicago, IL 60680

I am writing on behalf of the over 50,000 members of USINPAC, thelargest bi-partisan political action committee representing the IndianAmerican community. As representatives of the Indian Americancommunity, we have been encouraged by your message of inclusion andyour promise to bring a new kind of politics to our country. This iswhy we are so concerned about media reports indicating your staff maybe engaging in the worst kind of anti Indian American stereotyping.

We are very proud of the contributions Indian Americans have made, andcontinue to make, to our country. USINPAC represents members acrossthe nation, from all walks of life, who are caring for the sick,building businesses, educating our children and supporting theirfamilies. We are extremely proud to be Americans, and are workingeveryday for the brighter future you regularly speak about.

We are also proud of the strong relationship shared by the UnitedStates and India. This is a vital partnership between the two largestdemocracies who share common values. Our sincere hope is that you willseek to strengthen this relationship and celebrate the contributionsIndian Americans make to our country and the world.

We request that you respond directly to these media reports and let usknow if indeed your staff is promoting these hurtful stereotypes. Wetrust that you will take all appropriate action on this matter andlook forward to your response on this issue of great concern to theIndian American community.

Sanjay PuriChairman

For background information on the subject, please log on to thefollowing stories:

more on chinese perfidy. and our 'beloved leaders' genuflect to these monsters.

this article must be on brahma's blogsite. see the blogroll on theleft. i am only forwarding a para or two, and he did not send me aURL.

i really like that quote from sardar patel. i too had used the quotewhen i wrote about 'the sacrifice of tibet' on my other blograjeev2007.wordpress.com

---------- Forwarded message ----------From: Brahma Chellaney

Chinese Diplomacy: Make Principles to Lull Your Foe

Unprincipled Principles

Brahma Chellaney

Asian Age, June 16, 2007

One passion of Chinese diplomacy is to go in for numbered policypronouncements, like the "10-pronged strategy" unveiled in the jointdeclaration with India during President Hu Jintao's visit lastNovember. Another fetish is to enunciate diplomatic principles withanother state and later, at an opportune time, reinterpret themunilaterally to add force to Chinese claims and ambitions.

Defining high-sounding principles to advance bilateral relations ordispute resolution helps Beijing to hold the other side to basicparameters, including a one-China policy, and foster a belief that theenunciation of cadenced concepts is progress by itself. Yet the ideabehind formulating such principles is to bind the other party to themmore than oneself. The principles devised are invariably so generaland nebulous that Beijing, in any event, has ample room to reinterpretthem or emphasize a single principle over the rest.

.... deleted

Sardar Vallabhai Patel was the first Indian leader to grasp theenormity of the challenge from China. What he wrote 57 years ago stillresonates today: "We have to take note of a thoroughly unscrupulous,unreliable and determined power practically at our doors… Any friendlyor appeasing approaches from us would either be mistaken for weaknessor be exploited in furtherance of their ultimate aim."

For India's software exporters, there is a somber message in the PlazaAccord of 1985. Following that agreement, the Japanese currency begana steep climb. The yen reached 121 to the dollar in December 1987,from almost 263 in February 1985.

Friday, June 15, 2007

the us wants to get all the advantages of having the UN located in new york.

three good responses to this:

1. make noise to get the UN out of new york2. threaten to quit the UN3. suddenly increase the tax rates related to US properties such asthe embassy, consulates, USIS, in india. mysteriously, these increasedtaxes will add up to $37 million

you know china would have done all three of these, and the net resultwould be that the yanks would back off.

india will do none of the above, and will pay $37 million. india willnot even bring up the issue of a few $billion that the US hasillegally grabbed in payroll taxes from H1-B indians who are noteligible for any benefits from the US govt.